The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is a members club offering a wide selection of single cask whiskies from distilleries across the world.
The bottles the SMWS sell don't directly name the distilleries the whisky comes from, instead a numeric code is used and the bottles are given a name which tries to reflect the contents. All are cask strength, uncoloured and non-chill filtered, here are our thoughts:
| Dram | 37.81 Orange Turmeric Margarita (Cragganmore 13yo) | 70.31 Village of the drammed (Balblair 11yo) | 112.33 Pure coziness (Inchmurrin 17yo) | |
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| Characteristics | 56.5% ABV, NCF, Second Fill Ex-Sauternes Hogshead, 270 bottles | 59.9% ABV, NCF, First Fill Ex-Oloroso Sherry Hogshead, 274 bottles | 46.8% ABV, NCF, Second Fill Ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 291 bottles | |
| Distillery info | A perfumed aroma leaped out of the glass and combined with fruity cinnamon apple rings as well as the delicate smoke from maple wood chips making this a multi-faceted experience. The taste neat was somewhat different; bitter sweet like a slightly unripe Granny Smith apple. The nose with water had a wonderful summery feel; minty with a hint of herb like cranberry Pimm’s and the palate now wonderfully juicy sweet, even a whiff of smoke like an orange turmeric margarita. After 12 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, we transferred this whisky directly into a Sauternes cask for the remainder of its maturation. | This is a robust and boisterous example of this normally more serene make. Immediate notes of hot copper pans, toffee apples in a dunnage warehouse, sack cloth, hessian and hot anthracite. Mechanic’s overalls, chamois leather, coal scuttle, pencil shavings and fig jam all make their presence known. Reduction gives rhubarb and custard, apple hashish, burnt milk ice cream, toasted pumpkin seeds, cocoa powder and lemon jam. The mouth is hot and punchy with lashings of black pepper, zingy red apple, strawberry wine, opal fruits, rapeseed oil, nutmeg and apple juice. Water brings smoky bacon frazzles, pomegranate syrup and spicy black beans. Some liquorice and dandelion and burdock in the aftertaste. Matured for 8 years in a bourbon hogshead before transfer to a 1st fill Oloroso hogshead. | On the nose neat like a toasted rye bread with plenty of salted butter, coarse cut bitter orange peel and a hot mug of vanilla spiced herbal tea – pure coziness. Warm, sweet and spicy on the palate; patchouli pure essential oil, juicy orange gummy bears and with a very unusual finish of bitter Arbutus honey (strawberry tree). With water, a creamy sweet aroma of pineapple chunks in fruit juice as well as vanilla poached pears. To taste, now well balanced; fruity, floral and herbal combined with mellow vanilla notes which tone down the warm and spicy wood flavours and this made it a truly relaxing treat. | |
| Appearance |  | |||
| Pale gold in the glass, not the palest of tonight's 3 though. Swirls bead up immediately into tiny droplets which fall as slow thin legs. Initial nose: freshly peeled orange! | Mid gold in the glass, swirls bead up in a similar way to the first dram. Initial nose: Beef and onion crisps! | Very pale gold, almost Islayistic in appearance! Swirls again beat up and stick to the glass before falling as slow thin legs. Initial nose: citrus honey. | ||
| Nose | Brian | Just as its name suggests orange and tumeric, a little stewed pear, fresh cut grass and herbs. There's lots of perfume notes and maybe some palma violets? | Very meaty with a spicy sweetness - pickled onions? Getting dark fruit - dates, figs, black cherries. | Honey, toffee, warm porridge with a citrus note. There's also some icing sugar in here. Spot on with the toffee / porridge notes. |
| John | As the name implies the initial nose on this is a large orange citrus, but it has much more to it than just that, it’s bright and fresh and has that underlying icing-sugar sweetness too... There is also something very herbal going on here too - not too hot on my herbs... must to some research. Quite grassy too. | Straight away this is much sweeter and fruiter, touch of dunnage and new leather too, drier, malt and cereal notes, slight strawberry? | The classic Werther's Original toffee nose on this - I feel very much at home with this one 😊 Getting that touch of citrus now, vanilla and maltiness - when it's as good as this there is no need to finish it in anything 😍 | |
| Paul | Icing sugar, boiled sweets, citrus fruits - reminds me of a sweet lemon? Slightly malty and very slightly savory herbs. It is abit closed, I do sometimes add a drop or two of water to this one. I need to learn my herbs as well. What pizza would I of had sage on? | Dunnage, old leather, vanilla. It is light fresh dunnage warehouse, not and old damp one. | Vanilla and fruits, just the things you would expect. A light malty / porridge note. A bit of toffee in there to. Good start! | |
| Scott | On the nose getting an initial big hit of orange sherbet, very floral and perfumed, summer like. Gains more herbs and earthy notes the longer i smell this. Initial orange blast dissipating | Is anyone picking up pickled onions here? As well as monster munch, i'm getting leather jacket, old dunnage warehouse, dark fruits like figs, dates and prunes. This is pretty wild on the nose | Malty bread, citrus and some honey. Not a lot else going on here for me. Like sticking your face in floor maltings. | |
| Palate | Brian | Thick oily arrival, very spicy. The ABV hits you so it takes a couple of sips to open up. Notes of orange give way to grass and herbs with an unusual bitter note on the tongue. With a little water the herby notes on the nose intensify. On the palate the dram is a lot sweeter initially but that bitter note soon returns. | Thick and meaty, again the ABV hits you and it takes a few sips to open up. There's loads of toffee apple and vanilla notes. A big kick of chilli spice at the end. Nice! With a little water the dunnage warehouse notes the other guys talked about come out on the nose. On the palate there's dark chocolate and red fruit. | Thick and oily, immediate spice but with tropical fruit - getting sweet pineapple and sour grapefruit - interesting! |
| John | In spite of the high ABV this isn’t overpowering, slightly sharp and very bright on the palate, quite hot too, texture is all focused at the front and roof of my mouth... think this may benefit from a little water 🤔 With water, the nose is instantly much fruitier and maltier. Softer arrival on the palate and much more mouth-coating, more sweetness coming through - think I prefer this with water. | Given the enormous ABV this has a very soft arrival on the palate, soft red fruits, lovely texture, very well balanced - enjoying this one 😋 With water, getting a slightly burnt toffee note on the nose, much more vanilla too - doesn't seem to have effected the palate too much either... | Flows so well from the nose, delivers exactly what you expect and what you want. It’s just great, high quality whisky with no messing about. You could argue that it’s relatively simply… just like me, maybe that’s why I'm enjoying it so much 😋 In the name of science I added a little water as I did to the previous two drams... I wish I hadn't - it's not totally destroyed it but this one is much better neat. | |
| Paul | Orange and lemon, abit of pepper at the start. Lemon flavour malt? Very fresh. Lovely stuff. I get that bitterness to, interesting. I like it. | Big abv and its warming. Get the bourbon cask stuff, vanilla, fruity. Then the sherry cask, the dark fruits and the dunnage (which seems to of got slightly damper). Dark fruit sourness. Its simple imo, but i like it. | Fruits! a fruit bomb is the first thing you get. Dies back to give a malty slightly peppery porridge. Sweet lemon sweets. Lovely stuff! | |
| Scott | Thin, no cling, initial sweet/sour followed by something strange. Don't know what. Like wet cardboard There's like a sour note - like an apple past it's best maybe. Whatever it is i'm not a fan sorry.. | Big arrival, hint of that Monster Munch maybe even Bacon Frazzles, fades into a fruity, chewy sweetie type of thing | Oily mouthfeel, fruity arrival moving to bitter grapefruit, dark chocolate covered limes. Not spicy at all to me | |
| Finish | Brian | A hint of smoke and an icing sugar dryness but still dominated by a fruit sour/bitter note. | Long oaky and spicy. There's a little fruit and a lovely warming feeling! | The sour grapefruit comes through again, the icing sugar from the nose gives a dryness. There's a tiny hint of smoke and a lovely warming in the throat. Nice! |
| John | A lovely warmth to the finish, long, lingering, slightly drying… very nice. I suspected this one would be good and it is… | Spicy, sweet, relatively short but demands you take another sip - lovely stuff | ||
| Paul | Sour maltyness. Thats it really for me. Medium in length. Iv enjoyed this bottle from start to finish. Really pleased with this purchase. | Wood spice and a few red fruits. Good length. Does what it says on the tin/bottle. I like this. | Sweet and sour as it goes down. Turning to quite a sour grapefruit. Quite a long finish. | |
| Scott | Anyone get a sense of having just ate a bag of salt and vinegar on the finish? | Oak spice, vanilla, bourbon. | Pretty short, bitter sweet, more citrus, hint of the seaside for me as well. Nice dram. Grapefruit, yes i get that too | |
| Overall | Brian | Not keen on this one, not a dram I'd rush out to try again, sorry Paul. Normally I like wine finishes but this one adds a sour note I didn't enjoy. | Better with water! | This one doesn't need the water that the previous two did - it's nicely balanced - maybe even a hint of smoke in there alongside the sweet and sour fruit? Definitely the best dram of the evening - the tropical fruit notes did it for me! |
| John | An interesting dram, much better with the addition of water, it’s decent enough but not one I’d be rushing out to buy I’m afraid, sorry... #TheCurseOfTheWineFinished WhiskyStrikesAgain Would have been interesting to try this before it was finished 🤔 | This is a lovely dram - one that I wish I’d picked up… but you can’t buy them all. Exceptionally happy that I got to try it - thanks @WhiskynStuff for sharing #Gent | I stopped worrying about the notes on this as soon as I started to nose it - this is an absolute cracker and right up my street. I’m gutted I wasn’t able to pick up bottle of this when it was released. #LessonLearned | |
| Paul | I get that bitterness to, interesting. I like it. | This one for me, is very straight forward. You know roughly what it will be and thats what it is, no more no less. Very layered? Has one flavour, then the next then the next and so on. | I'm not sure about "Pure Coziness" but it's definitely good stuff. | |
| Scott | With water this is far more enjoyable. More fruits, powdery sugar, and none of that strange cardboard finish. | Overall i enjoyed this one. More for the crazy Monster Munch nose more than anything else. | Not a lot there but it's all done very well. Balanced | |
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| Photo : John |
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| Photo: Scott |
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